THE UTOPIA OF ABUNDANCE

I.T.C. BODONI

2002/03 3°TEI CLASS

POVERTY AND

ABUNDANCE IN THE MIDDLE AGES CUCCAGNA : THE

LAND OF MILK AND HONEY

FOLKLOREABUNDANCE IN LITERATURE

POVERTY AND ABUNDANCE IN THE MIDDLE AGES

For a long time in history hunger has been a daily experience for many people.Years of abundance were followed by years of misery.Wars and bad weather could provoke bad harvests and as a consequence famine.

August – fresco – 15 th century

Famine was often followed by epidemics and pestilence which contributed to reduce the population weakened by hunger.

Epidemics went on until the end of the 17th century

The pestilence in Florence – manuscript - 14th century

Reality

Since XIII century popular imagination has created the myth of a gastronomic paradise, a utopian land where food never lacks: this is the land of milk and honey, the so called land of Cuccagna.

The land of Cuccagna - print of the middle 13th century

Dream

CUCCAGNA: THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY

• The dream of abundance

• The word

• What is it like?

THE DREAM OF ABUNDANCE

Cuccagna (the “land of milk and honey”) is a fantastic place of abundance, where food can be taken and eaten freely, without any limits.It is often an overturned world, where the absurd is common.Popular art has often described it from the Middle Ages to Modern Age.

Pietre Brugel -The “land of milk and honey” -1567

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The word “ Cuccagna” seems to come from the medieval Latin “Cocania”, formed by a word that means cakes (German: Kuchen) and the suffix “-ania” usually found at the end of country names.

Other names of the “land of milk and honey” are: Bengodi, Ser Godigliano’s land, that comes from the word “godere” ,to enjoy in English.

Tommaso from Modena - fresco - 1352

The word

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Cuccagna “the land of milk and honey" is part of a fantastic place and it is described by a fancy geography.Many popular prints represent the map of this country.It is situated in an undefined European country and it is very far away. According to some people, the entrance might be placed under the current of a river.

The land of Cuccagna – Print – Rome or Venice -about 16th century

What is it like?

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It is a wonderful country. In the middle of a valley, a volcano is used as a cooker for a huge pot cooking maccheroni, ravioli and tortelli, then they roll and soak in butter and cheese. The mountains are covered with buttermilk curd, the lakes and the rivers are made of manna, milk and wine. The birds fall down the sky like rain drops to be roasted. The fish jump out of the water and they dive into the frying pan.The fruit on the trees is always ripe, ready to be eaten.The roads are paved with “lasagne”, the bridges are big salami, the walls are made of sweets. If a person washes his/her face in the fountain, he/she gets younger. The working people are in prison, while the sleeping people enjoy life.

The land of Cuccagna - print - Rome or Venice-about 16th century

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ABUNDANCE IN LITERATURE

• Giovanni Boccaccio

• Decameron

• Calandrino and the district Bengodi

Giovanni Boccaccio

He is one of the most important writers of Italian Literature.He lived in the 15th century in Florence and in Naples.He wrote his works in vulgar florentine (first form of Italian language).To follow his father’s will he studied law, but Giovanni loved literature.He read the French romances and Provencal poetry, and wrote several works.Boccaccio’s masterpiece is “Decameron”.

Andrea del Castagno – Boccaccio - 1450index

Decameron

The title is formed by two Greek words “deca” and “hemera” that is ten days. It is a collection of one hundred tales split up in ten days.The themes were: love, mockery, luck, the ancient virtues of the riders, the cunning attitude of the new mercharts.The tales are either comical or tragic.The work symbolizes the society and the mercantile way of thinking of the Middle Ages.

Decameron – miniature

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The author tells the story of seven girls and three boys who left the city of Florence in 1348 to escape a plague and they went to live in the country.There they felt isolated and to spend the time they told tales.Every day, at turn, one boy decided a theme and together, at turn, they told their stories. Spinello Aretino – Decameron – 14th century

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Calandrino and the district BengodiDay VIII novella III

Giovanni Boccaccio, an Italian writer of XIV century, describes the land of Cuccagna. In his most famous work the “Decameron”, he tells the short story of Calandrino.He is an ingenuous painter that is cheated by his friends Bruno and Buffalmacco.They describe the wonderful district Bengodi and Calandrino ingenuosly believes that this land really exists.In this short story the country of gastronomic abundance is called Bengodi (by the Italian word “godere”, in English “to enjoy”).

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The district Bengodi

In Bengodi vineyards are tied up with sausages, geese cost only a denier, ducklings come as a present, cooks continue to cook “maccheroni” and “ravioli” that everybody can eat in large quantity.In Bengodi there is a mountain of grated “parmigiano” and there is a river of Vernaccia wine.Bengodi is situated in an imaginary land, but some people say that it is situated in the Basque land.The distance is expressed with an inexistent word “millanta” that looks like a real number “mille” (1000).

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FOLKLOREPopular festivities were an opportunity to forget difficulties. They celebrated the patron of thevillage or the city, or particular religious and secular festivities.Music, songs and dances contributed to give fun to people.In those days the Cuccagna’s tree, a tree of milk and honey, symbol of abundance,was often present.

Gino Covili - The Feast – 1979/80

Cuccagna’s tree

On feast days on the village square a high, smooth and fat strewn pole was raised.At the top ham, salami and food bags hung.The village guys climbed on the slippery pole to get the food.

Gino Covili – Cuccagna’s tree - 1984

Music

FRANCESCO BENDUSI

• “Pass’e mezzo ditto il

Romano”

•“Moscheta”

•“Bandera”

3° t. e. i. ClassBianchi Leonardo

Bonati Alessia

Bonini Giorgio

Bottali Kelly

Cammarere Giuseppina

Cavagni Vanessa

Cundo Michela

De Giovanni Vittoria

Formica Cristina

Gini Valentina

Giuffredi Maria Chiara

Guasti Luca

Marino Davide

Mele Laila

Menna Antonella

Monica Elisa

Paini Alessandro

Saletti Silvia

Sikur Luca

Tripodi Iole

Zoboli Laura

Prof.ssa Rossella Ollari

Prof.ssa Manuela Pezzoni